Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of those aged 16 to 24 years were classed as living in poverty in each financial year since 1989-90. [174854]

Caroline Flint:
Available information is shown in the following table.

Number of people aged 16 to 24 living in relative poverty, 1994-95 to 2005-06

Million

Before housing costs

After housing costs

1994-95

1.2

1.8

1995-96

1.0

1.6

1996-97

1.2

1.8

1997-98

1.1

1.6

1998-99

1.0

1.6

1999-2000

1.1

1.6

2000-01

1.1

1.5

2001-02

1.1

1.5

2002-03

1.2

1.7

2003-04

1.1

1.7

2004-05

1.2

1.7

28 Jan 2008 : Column 64W

2005-06

1.4

2.0

Notes:
1. Data are not available from this source for 1989-90 to1993-94.
2. The information shown is for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards. Earlier years are Great Britain only.
3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication Households Below Average Income series, which uses disposable household income, equivalised for household size and composition, as a proxy for standard of living using the OECD equivalence scale.
4. This response uses the Government's preferred measure of relative low income poverty, defined as being in a household with a household income of less than 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income. This is an internationally recognised measure.
5. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. This means that after housing cost incomes will generally be lower than before housing cost.
6. Amounts in the tables have been presented in millions, rounded to the nearest 100,000 people. Source:
Family Resources Survey, 1994-95 to 2005-06.

Poverty: Children

Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children living in poverty are in households liable to pay full council tax; and if he will make a statement. [174847]

Caroline Flint:
Just under a quarter of all children living in relative poverty are in households liable for full council tax.

Notes:

1. Households are defined as being in poverty if their income is less than 60 per cent. of the national median equivalised income level. Income here is measured on a before housing costs basis.

2. These figures have been derived using the Policy Simulation Model (PSM) which uses data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). These are estimated indicative figures.

3. The PSM models the calculation of individual taxes and income-related benefit entitlement, by deriving detailed microdata from the latest available FRS.

4. The PSM models the current policy year (2007-08) using the latest FRS data (2005-06), by up-rating the FRS to represent the appropriate policy year.

5. The analysis provided assumes full take-up of income-related benefits in the current policy year.

Poverty: Council Tax

Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people classed as living in poverty paid full council tax in each financial year since 1993-94. [174848]

Caroline Flint:
Fewer poor households would pay full council tax if households took up their entitlement to council tax benefit. According to the National Statistics publication, Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 2005-06, take-up of council 28 Jan 2008 : Column 65W
tax benefit by non-pensioners is relatively high (in the range of 73 to 81 per cent. of those eligible in 2005-06). While the level of council tax benefit take-up in 2005-06 among pensioners is lower, it increased as a percentage of those eligible in 2005-06 for the first time since 1997 to the range 54 to 60 per cent.

Available information on how many households in poverty paid full council tax is shown in the following table.

Number of households (millions) in relative poverty paying full council tax

Before housing costs

After housing costs

1994-95

2.2

2.4

1995-96

2.0

2.2

1996-97

2.1

2.3

1997-98

2.2

2.3

1998-99

2.3

2.5

1999-2000

2.5

2.6

2000-01

2.6

2.8

2001-02

2.7

2.8

2002-03

2.7

2.9

2003-04

2.7

2.8

2004-05

2.6

2.8

2005-06

2.7

3.0

Notes: 1. Data are not available from this source for 1993-94. 2. The information shown is for Great Britain. 3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, equivalised for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 4. The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors. 5. The preferred measure of low income is by using a threshold of 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income. This is an internationally recognised measure. 6. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. This means that after housing cost incomes will generally be lower than before housing cost. 7. Tables show numbers in millions rounded to the nearest £100 thousand. Source: Family Resources Survey, 1994/95 to 2005-06.

Social Security Benefits: Foreigners

Chris Grayling:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in benefits to non-UK nationals in the last year for which figures are available. [181767]

Mr. Plaskitt:
The information is not available; no record is kept of claimants' nationalities.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Andrew Rosindell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were prosecuted for crimes relating to benefit fraud in the London Borough of Havering in each of the last four years. [181693]

Mr. Plaskitt:
Information regarding DWP administered benefits is not available below national and regional level.

28 Jan 2008 : Column 66W

The available information regarding local authority administered benefits is in the table.

Prosecutions due to housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud in the London borough of Havering

Number of cases accepted for prosecution

Number of successful prosecutions

2003-04

13

10

2004-05

14

15

2005-06

18

10

2006-07

23

20

Source: Estimates are based on Stats 124 administrative data returns

Mr. Evennett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were prosecuted for crimes relating to benefit fraud in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last five years. [182094]

Mr. Plaskitt:
Information regarding DWP administered benefits is not available below national and regional level.

The available information regarding local authority administered benefits is in the table.

Prosecutions due to housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud in the London b orough of Bexley

Number of cases accepted for prosecution

Number of successful prosecutions

2003-04

24

22

2004-05

31

19

2005-06

23

15

2006-07

31

26

Source: Estimates are based on Stats 124 administrative data returns

Social Security Benefits: Pensioners

Chris Grayling:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners eligible for means-tested support were overpaid as a result of errors in the application process in the most recent year for which figures are available. [181635]

Mr. Plaskitt:
The information is not available.

Unemployment

Andrew Selous:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) of 7 January 2007, Official Report, column 5, what proportion of children are living in workless households in (a) the UK and (b) each other EU member state. [178024]

Caroline Flint [holding answer 14 January 2008]: The latest UK Labour Force Survey data indicate that 15.9 per cent. of children live in workless households, a fall of 450,000 (or 2.9 percentage points) since 1997. This is greater than the rate of improvement seen in the EU15, where the proportion of children in workless households has fallen by 1.9 percentage points since 1997.

There has been a similar above average improvement in the proportion of children in relative poverty since 1997 as the Secretary of State indicated in his answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 5.

28 Jan 2008 : Column 67W

Detailed information on the current position by country of the proportions of children in workless households is set out in the following table:

Proportion of children living in workless households in the UK and other EU states in 2007

Percentage

EU (27 countries)

(1)9.4

EU15

(1)9.3

United Kingdom (ONS estimate)

15.9

United Kingdom (Eurostat estimate)

16.7

Hungary

14.0

Belgium

13.5

Bulgaria

12.9

Ireland

11.2

Slovakia

10.5

France

9.8

Croatia

(2)9.8

Poland

9.5

Romania

9.4

Germany

9.3

Latvia

8.6

Malta

8.4

Czech Republic

7.9

Estonia

7.3

Lithuania

6.9

Austria

6.1

Netherlands

5.9

Italy

5.8

Denmark

(2)5.0

Spain

5.0

Finland

(2)4.9

Portugal

4.8

Luxembourg

4.0

Greece

3.9

Cyprus

3.7

Slovenia

2.5

(1) Estimate. (2) Data refer to 2006. Note: Eurostat definition of children in workless households is "children aged 0 to 17 who are living in households where no one is working". Definition used by ONS is "percentage of children aged under 16 in a working-age household where no adult works". Source: EU Labour Force Survey and UK Office for National Statistics.